CHILI CON CORPSES
by J.B. Stanley
When murder comes to the Luray Caverns, a group of small-town Virginia friends play sleuth.
Town librarian James Henry and his friends Lindy, Gillian, Bennett and Lucy, originally brought together by their need to lose weight, have also learned to solve crimes (Fit to Die, 2007). The new acquaintances they’ve met in a Mexican cooking class include the wealthy and beautiful Willis twins: Parker, a veterinarian, and Kinsley, a schoolteacher. Lindy presses her friends and whoever else she can find to act as chaperones on a class trip she’s arranged to Luray Caverns. When one of the twins is strangled in the caverns and a mysterious chaperone who claimed to be related to a student vanishes, the flabby crime fighters resolve to help the police. James—recently dumped by Lucy, who’s found a handsome fellow recruit to keep her company as she prepares to take the test to join the ranks of law enforcement—finds solace in the arms of lovely local reporter Murphy Alistair, who’s delighted to join the crime-solving circle. Computer skills, local knowledge, a little bit of luck and the police all factor into the solution.
Not by any means a challenging puzzle. But the Mexican recipes, the cozy hometown setting and a touch of romance make it a pleasant read.